The present invention relates to wind turbines and compact generators used in wind turbines. Specifically, the present invention relates to a gear integrated generator, a wind turbine including a gear integrated generator; and a method of manufacturing a gear integrated generator.
Wind turbines are experiencing increasing demand. Therefore, large multimegawatt wind turbines are being installed in many locations throughout the world. On the one hand, direct drive generators provide difficulties for the continuously increasing size, because an up-scaling of a ring generator results in an increasing mass and a difficulty in controlling thermal growth. On the other hand, higher rotating speed generators provide a lower efficiency and might limit the life-cycle of rotating parts. An increase in lifetime would be particularly desirable for offshore applications.
As a result, there is a desire to reduce the weight of components, like generators and gears, included in modern wind turbines and to increase the lifetime of these components.